Nineteen species of marine macrophytic algae collected in Bodega Bay, California were investigated for their
fatty acid composition. Red, brown and green algae have distinguishing fatty acid profiles, which have a chemotaxonomic
significance for seaweeds. This does not depend on the geographical location of the algae. Algal
habitat conditions affect quantitative characteristics of the fatty acids. The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids
in algae from California was found to be noticeably higher for most of the algal species examined in comparison
with the same or related species from other regions.